The invention relates to sewing machines in general, and more particularly to improvements in a presser foot for use in sewing machines, especially in sewing machines wherein the needle should or must be guided during the making of a row of stitches in a piece of fabric or the like.
It is already known to equip a sewing machine with a guide which advances along a selected path so as to ensure that the needle will make a row of stitches at a certain distance from the edge of a piece of fabric. However, heretofore known guides cannot be employed when a sewing machine is to attach two pieces of fabric to the tapes of a slide fastener in such a way that the two pieces of fabric meet or are immediately adjacent each other in front of the slide fastener in order to at least partially or fully conceal the slide fastener while permitting access to the slide piece.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,002,477 discloses a presser foot for use in sewing machines which serve to secure the tapes of slide fasteners to pieces of fabric or the like. The patented sewing machine operates with two needles one of which forms stitches in close proximity to one row of slide fastener teeth and the other of which forms stitches at a greater distance from the one row of teeth. Such stitches secure the piece of fabric to the respective tape of the slide fastener. The presser foot carries a pivotably mounted plate which can be moved to an operative position at one side of the sole plate to define with the sole plate a passage for one row of slide fastener teeth. The patented presser foot cannot be used for attachment of pieces of fabric to the tapes of a slide fastener in such a way that the marginal portions of the pieces of fabric overlie and at least partially conceal the slide fastener.
German Auslegeschrift No. 1 017 010 of Lechel discloses a presser foot which carries a horizontal bar at a level above the sole plate. One end portion of the bar supports a housing which contains a coil spring and is rigid with a guide serving to slide along the table of a sewing machine adjacent the edge of a piece of fabric. The spring ensures that the guide bears against the table even if the sole plate of the presser foot is caused to rise and descend during travel along the upper side of a piece of fabric. The guide and its housing can be turned about the end portion of the bar so as to move the guide to an inoperative position well above the level of the sole plate. The bar can be adjusted relative to the presser foot in response to loosening of a screw which secures the bar to the shank of the presser foot above the sole plate. The guide can be installed only at one side of the sole plate of the presser foot. If a guide is needed at the other side of the presser foot, the single guide must be transferred or a second guide must be installed at the other end of the bar. The structure which is disclosed by Lechel cannot be used to attach pieces of fabric to the tapes of a snap fastener in a manner such as to conceal the snap fastener behind the marginal portions of the pieces of fabric.